Hollywood has changed a lot since superheroes first appeared on the big screen, as we've finally reached the point that they're good enough to be considered by the serious film folks at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2017 featured some pretty incredible movies, not just in the comic book genre, but also in horror and science fiction—meaning that we could see some less conventional films get recognized at the Academy Awards. With the Oscar nominations being announced later this month, I thought I'd take a look at a five of the movies we covered last year that are deserving of some awards season recognition. Of course, some candidates are more likely than others...
Wonder Woman
The first major female-led superhero movie might get some consideration because of the film’s timeliness, but deserves praise on its own merits as well. Wonder Woman resonated with critics and fans alike and earned a nomination for The Producers Guild of America’s top movie award. The PGA Awards are usually a pretty good way to gauge the Academy’s interest in a movie, as all nine Best Picture nominees last year also received PGA nominations. Interestingly enough, the only movie to receive a PGA nomination that wasn’t also recognized by the Oscars was a superhero film: Deadpool. However, since Deadpool is a very different kind of movie than Wonder Woman, this might not be anything to worry about.
Director Patty Jenkins has been getting some Oscar buzz as of late, and it is definitely deserved. While Wonder Woman is not as complex and ambitious as some of the other comic book movies released this year, the fact that it’s a fairly simple origin story might actually help its awards chances. Another thing in Wonder Woman’s favor is that aside from biopics and movies about movies, the Academy loves nothing more than period pieces.
Logan
Along with Wonder Woman, Logan is the superhero movie most likely to get recognized by the Academy. Probably the biggest factor in its favor is that it doesn’t feel like a comic book movie and instead plays out like a contemporary indie western. The screenplay has been submitted for awards consideration and has been nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award.
Dafne Keen and Hugh Jackman both turn in incredibly strong performances, but the actor that has the best chance at a nomination is Patrick Stewart for his final performance as Charles Xavier. This was Professor X as we’ve never seen him before, as the usually calm and collected leader of the X-Men had become a danger to those around him. Stewart is able to still capture the warmth and wisdom that we’ve come to expect from the character, while also making him more crass and unhinged than we’ve come to expect. This heartbreaking performance was so great that it almost made me forget Stewart’s other major role last year.
Thor: Ragnarok
Lots of movies get submitted for Oscar consideration that don’t realistically stand a chance of getting nominated, and while Thor: Ragnarok seems to belong in this category, I don’t think a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay is unwarranted. The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a change of pace from the previous Thor movies and made one of the less popular MCU characters cooler than ever.
Comedies have been nominated for screenplay Oscars before, but an action comedy based on comic book characters that is set in outer space might be a bit outside the Academy’s comfort zone. That doesn’t mean Thor: Ragnarok writers Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher L. Yost shouldn’t be in consideration for a gold statuette.
Blade Runner 2049
The epic sci-fi sequel is likely to get some recognition from the Academy. While Ryan Gosling is great as Officer K, the Best Actor category is VERY competitive, so his chances don’t look great. While it might get shut out on the acting side, Blade Runner 2049 should fare well in the technical categories, as the visual effects and cinematography are truly amazing.
However, I think it’s only fair that the man who pulled the whole movie together gets some credit as well. Denis Villeneuve has become one of most talked-about filmmakers in Hollywood, and while he has already earned one Best Director nomination for Arrival, another one is well-deserved. Blade Runner 2049 was Villeneuve’s most ambitious film yet, clocking in at two hours and forty-four minutes and covering some pretty heavy themes.
From the opening frames of the movie, it becomes clear that this movie is going to be a visual treat. However, the story that later unfolds is just as worthy of praise. It takes a very skilled storyteller to make a movie that is as long and as complex as Blade Runner 2049 and keep the audience captivated the whole time.
It
This one is definitely another longshot since horror movies also rarely get acknowledged by the Academy. However, Bill Skarsgard's transformative performance as Pennywise was definitely good enough to earn some consideration. While he is on screen for less time than some fans expected, Skarsgård makes his appearances memorable by perfectly balancing Pennywise’s funny and terrifying sides. Skarsgård is completely unrecognizable as the demonic clown, and not just because of the extensive makeup he wears.
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule of actors in horror films being ignored by the Oscars, with The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, and Silence of the Lambs standing out. Another interesting exception was Katy Bates' Oscar-winning performance as Annie Wilkes in Misery, another Stephen King adaptation. It doesn't look very likely that Skarsgård will join this list, but it would pretty awesome if a movie about a child-eating clown monster got nominated for an Academy Award.